Jack Harper's entry point into the world of Advent Children was a forest.
It was midnight.
The forest was strange. At night, every tree emitted a faint white glow, like streetlamps scattered across the woods. Jack found the scene oddly familiar. He followed the terrain downhill and soon came upon a small lake, a few acres wide. On its shore stood a two-story spiral-shell-shaped pavilion.
Jack finally recognized the place.
This was the Forgotten City—a key location in both the game and the film. Originally the ruins of an ancient civilization, it had once been the heart of the Cetra's culture, with channels connecting directly to the planet's Lifestream. But what truly made it famous was the role it played in the story: the place where Aerith died.
In the game, Aerith—last descendant of the Cetra—sensed Sephiroth's plan and came here to pray, holding the White Materia. She intended to cast the ultimate white magic. But before the spell could activate, Sephiroth descended from above and pierced her heart with a single strike. Her body was laid to rest in the pool that connected directly to the planet's Lifestream, and the White Materia sank with her. Though the spell was suppressed, it still took effect after her death. It weakened Sephiroth significantly and, once the protagonist defeated him, activated fully—forming a massive white barrier thousands of kilometers wide that blocked most of the meteor's impact.
Jack Harper stood beside the pool that had become the grave of a legendary beauty.
"I wonder if the White Materia is still down there," he muttered, frowning. "If I could retrieve it, maybe it could help weaken the planet's suppression of Jenova."
Unfortunately, the mission world offered no shortcuts. Jack dove beneath the surface and searched for a while, but found nothing. Not surprising, really. Though it looked like water, the pool was saturated with the planet's life force. Back when Sephiroth tried to destroy the world, billions of water-lance streams erupted skyward from this very place, shattering a meteor thousands of kilometers wide. Retrieving a marble-sized Materia from such a pool? Easier said than done.
Speaking of Materia, a quick explanation was in order.
In Final Fantasy VII, the game didn't rely on traditional spell-learning systems. Instead, it featured its iconic Materia system.
Materia were translucent, billiard-sized colored orbs—crystallized Mako, the planet's life energy. They contained the magical knowledge of the ancient civilization. Once embedded into weapons or absorbed into the body, they could be activated through mental focus to cast spells. Some Materia were natural, others man-made. The most powerful included the Black Materia, which summoned the apocalyptic meteor, and the White Materia, which could resist it. Other Materia could summon mythical beings, cast elemental magic, or trigger unique effects. Their functions were wildly diverse.
At the same time Jack Harper arrived, the three members of the Dark Oath squad also entered the Advent Children mission world.
Captain Magnor still wore his traditional robes and long beard. Goldspark was, as always, gleaming with golden light. Lady Night, now inhabiting Flora's body, had regained her human form. She wasn't wearing her signature black leather—just a thick overcoat.
"Hey, Lady Night," Goldspark said, eyeing Flora's golden hair and silver eyes. "Is that body still a Claymore or has it awakened? You craving human organs yet?"
"This body's still a Claymore, obviously. Awakened beings are ruled by flesh and instinct. You think my puppet technique would fall that far?" Lady Night's voice didn't come from Flora's mouth, but from the bat-shaped tattoo on her skin. "Awakening isn't irreversible. With enough control, even an awakened body can be pulled back. The organization's 'Twin Goddess' project was built on that principle—two Claymore twins, one awakens, the other controls, and together they reverse the process. I don't need two people. I can do it alone."
"But awakened ones are stronger, aren't they? Why stick to being a Claymore?" Goldspark asked.
Lady Night's voice carried a hint of pride. "Restoring control after awakening creates a half-awakened state. That boosts both physical strength and demonic power. And the stronger the base form, the more powerful the next awakening becomes. Sure, the gains taper off with each cycle, limited by talent. This body probably won't reach Abyssal level, but give me a few more rounds and I'll hit the Silver-Eyed Lion King's tier."
"What? Then you'd be stronger than the boss!"
"Hmph. Fool. Power level doesn't equal combat effectiveness. The boss's skills were forged through endless battles. Even someone with higher-tier strength wouldn't stand a chance. Unlike you—silver-tier elite skills and all, but if you fought a real silver-tier elite, how long would you last?" Lady Night sneered, then glanced at Magnor, who was meditating nearby. Her tone softened. "The boss's talent and discipline are top-tier among adventurers. He might reach demigod level someday. But unless he breaks through that final barrier, he'll remain a false god. Only Brandon Caswell had the talent to cross that line early… and he's dead. No idea if the true gods above will give him a second chance."
Goldspark, still smarting from her earlier jab, muttered, "Just a gifted idiot who didn't understand how Reincarnation Space works. Died even after multiple revivals."
Lady Night ignored him. After a pause, she said, "By the way, I lost this body's sword in the last mission world. Goldspark, check your arsenal—find me something similar."
"Hey now, the alchemist's gone. My weapons are limited. You don't even use swords when you awaken…"
"Cut the nonsense. Are you giving me one or not?"
Intimidated by her tone, Goldspark reluctantly reached into the air. A ripple of crimson light spread across the void. He reached in and pulled out a wide, silver-blue greatsword with elegant patterns.
"Here. The 'Atlantis Blade.' Size, weight, and hardness match standard Claymore specs. It's the only one I've got. Lose it again and you'll be swinging axes."
"Hmph. Stingy and useless," Lady Night scoffed. She turned the sword into a card and stored it in her Reincarnation Book. Then she looked toward Magnor and asked, "Boss, what's the point of this mission? Stop Sephiroth from destroying the world? Then that ice guy must be helping him do it. I just watched the movie—Cloud fought Sephiroth solo. His teammates didn't even show up. What are we supposed to do?"
Goldspark chimed in, "Exactly. And before Sephiroth shows up, there are only three Remnants. The strongest, Kadaj, is mid-silver tier. The other two—Loz and Yazoo—are low-silver. Even with Materia, they're not that impressive. Why not just take them out ourselves?"
Magnor finally opened his eyes. Calmly, he said, "Last mission, Rime froze the entire battlefield to complete his objective and escape our pursuit. But he doesn't realize the curse of 'Styx Blood Vengeance' comes from the Final Destination series. The longer it's delayed, the more intense it becomes. His avoidance last time triggered this round's deathmatch. And he's at a disadvantage. This time, we strike first and end it."
"Yes, boss," the two replied in unison, visibly pleased.
Meanwhile, Jack Harper had no idea his enemies had already decided to go on the offensive. He was preoccupied with something else.
Jack Harper was dealing with something far more pressing.
The Geostigma Syndrome.
It was a lingering aftermath of the war two years ago.
When Sephiroth was defeated, the planet's will had unleashed its full Lifestream to repel the incoming meteor. The attack was devastatingly effective—but it also exposed the planet's entire energy system. Jenova's cells, still active within Sephiroth's body, seized the opportunity. They infiltrated the Lifestream and began spreading across the world, infecting the human population.
Humans naturally carried traces of the Lifestream within their bodies, which instinctively rejected Jenova's cells. If someone was healthy and only lightly infected, they'd show no symptoms. But if their constitution was weak or the infection heavy, the two forces would clash internally, causing massive cellular damage. Externally, this manifested as gray-green blotches on the skin, accompanied by intermittent pain.
Now, Jack Harper had one of those blotches—right around his blind left eye.
The Jenova cells embedded in his skin were constantly trying to invade deeper, sending sharp stabs of pain through his face. It started around the eye socket, then spread until half his head throbbed.
But this gave Jack a rare opportunity.
Jenova's cells were intelligent, but lacked any concept of society. Every cell operated as part of a singular lifeform. They knew only themselves—no allies, no coordination. They devoured and divided, but never cooperated. If Jack wanted to join Sephiroth's side, the only viable path was to become part of Jenova. And now, with the cells already invading his body, he had a legitimate reason to approach the Remnants.
In the film, the trio had been collecting infected children and enhancing them—turning them into their own followers.
At that moment, the three Remnants themselves were making their first appearance.
All three wore black leather and had silver hair and green eyes, but each had a distinct look.
Kadaj, the leader, had ear-length silver hair and a long black coat that reached his ankles. The coat's lower flaps were strapped to his legs, giving it a skirt-like appearance. His weapon was a twin-bladed katana—two Japanese blades mounted side by side on a single hilt. He specialized in swordsmanship and magical summoning.
Yazoo had shoulder-length silver hair and a standard black coat. He wielded a silver gunblade named "Velvet Nightmare" and was a sharpshooter.
Loz was the tallest and most muscular of the three. His silver hair was cropped short, and his leather jacket was tight-fitting, showing off his build. Though he carried a gunblade like Yazoo, he mostly relied on his left arm's weapon—a shock gauntlet called "Dog Collar." He excelled at close-quarters combat.
In the film's story, as Geostigma spread, Shinra's former president Rufus sent a team to investigate the site of Sephiroth's death. Unfortunately, they ran into the newly formed Remnants. Though Rufus's team were elite Shinra operatives, their actual combat strength was only around low-bronze tier. Facing three silver-tier enemies, they were instantly wiped out and taken hostage.
Sephiroth had never been much of a schemer. With his power and reputation, he could've easily dominated humanity—but instead, he isolated himself, lost his way, and descended into madness. His Remnants were even more naïve and clueless. Despite their strength, they were easily manipulated by Shinra's cunning survivors. Rufus quickly figured out their goal—retrieving Jenova's head—and fed them a lie, sending them after Cloud.
Of course, Shinra didn't actually expect the Remnants to kill Cloud. Their real plan was to use Cloud to rally his old allies—some of the world's strongest warriors—and then eliminate the Remnants and, eventually, Sephiroth himself.
Cloud, now retired for two years, had become a deliveryman. A very dramatic one—he rode a sleek black motorcycle named Fenrir, which had hidden compartments for oversized swords. After the war, the introverted and conflicted young man began questioning his own strength and purpose. Combined with his Geostigma infection, he had temporarily separated from his girlfriend Tifa and moved into Aerith's old church.
Thanks to Shinra's "inside men," the Remnants easily tracked Cloud down in the wild and launched a surprise attack.
It was a brutal fight—on motorcycles.
Only Yazoo and Loz participated, but they summoned dozens of shadow beasts formed from Jenova cells. Each was the size of a rhinoceros, resembling panthers or tigers. While not decisive in silver-tier combat, they were nearly impossible to kill. Even when mortally wounded, they simply dissolved into black mist and reformed moments later. They were relentless.
Caught off guard and unaware of his attackers' identities or motives, Cloud was quickly overwhelmed. Then his Geostigma flared up, leaving him vulnerable. He was nearly buried alive by the shadow beasts.
Fortunately, Kadaj called off the attack.
He hadn't come to kill Cloud. After all, Cloud had also been infused with Jenova cells by Shinra. From a genetic standpoint, the Remnants considered him a brother. Their goal was to confirm whether Jenova's head was hidden on Cloud's person. Kadaj, clearly more intelligent than his two brothers, saw Cloud's confusion during the ambush and realized he knew nothing about the situation. The fight was pointless.
The Remnants withdrew. Cloud left shortly after.
Not long after, another group arrived at the now-empty battlefield.